Generally, a water control valve, which is called a “faucets” in the related art, has been configured to control the flow rate of water (including hot water supplied from a boiler), and to control the temperature of water by selecting cold water or hot water, or by mixing cold water and hot water at a desired mixing ratio.
The water control valve capable of controlling the temperature and flow rate of water may be installed in a kitchen at an appropriate position above a sink or in a bathroom at a predetermined position above, for example, a bathtub. A user in the kitchen or the bathroom thus conveniently uses water by manipulating the water control valve.
Conventional water control valves capable of controlling the temperature and flow rate of water have been classified into knob-operated valves and lever-operated valves. The knob-operated water control valves are configured to control the flow rate and temperature of water using respective knobs which are designated for cold water and hot water and manipulated by a user to control the flow rate of water as well as the temperature of water. The lever-operated water control valves are configured to control the flow rate of water by moving a lever upwards or downwards, and control the temperature of water by appropriately rotating the lever leftwards or rightwards to select cold water, hot water, or a mix of the cold water and hot water together.
Described in detail, in the conventional knob-operated water control valves, a cold water knob and a hot water knob are provided on opposite sides of a valve body. The cold water knob is manipulated to discharge cold water at a controlled flow rate, while the hot water knob is manipulated to discharge hot water at a controlled flow rate.
Thus, when it is desired to use cold water or hot water exclusively, a user can easily control the flow rate of water by manipulating a knob designated for cold water or hot water. However, when it is desired to use mixed water of a desired temperature, the cold water knob and the hot water knob must be carefully manipulated to provide the desired temperature, resulting in inconvenience to users.
Furthermore, the conventional knob-operated water control valves each have a plurality of valve cartridges used for separately controlling the flow rates of cold water and hot water. The valve cartridges of each conventional knob-operated water control valve comprise many elements, complicating the construction of the water control valves.
Due to the plurality of valve cartridges having many elements, the conventional knob-operated water control valve has a complex and crude appearance. Thus, the conventional knob-operated valve does not appeal to the taste of modern people preferring a simple and refined appearance to a complex and crude appearance. Furthermore, due to the provision of the plurality of valve cartridges in a knob-operated valve, production costs of the valve are increased.
The conventional lever-operated water control valves are problematic in that they needlessly waste an excessive amount of water because the lever-operated valves cannot precisely control the flow rate of water.
Most conventional lever-operated water control valves are designed as single lever-type valves each having one lever, inducing a manipulation problem in which the valves may change the existing flow rate of water during a temperature control operation and change the existing temperature of water during a flow rate control operation.
Described in detail, a user of a conventional lever-operated water control valve having a single lever must control the temperature and flow rate of water by manipulating the single lever. To control the temperature of water, the user manipulates the single lever so that a control disk of the valve is rotated leftwards or rightwards, thereby adjusting the opening ratios of hot and cold water inlet holes and controlling the mixing ratio of hot and cold water. Thus, the temperature of water to be discharged from the valve is controlled. To control the flow rate of water, the user manipulates the single lever to move the control disk forwards or backwards, thus adjusting the opening ratio of a water discharge hole and controlling the flow rate of water to be discharged from the valve. Therefore, the conventional lever-operated water control valves having single lever have the above-mentioned manipulation problem.
Furthermore, in the operation of the conventional lever-operated water control valves having the single lever, the lever cannot be precisely manipulated, so that excessive time is required to control the temperature of water to a desired point during which an excessive amount of water is discharged from the valve and is needlessly wasted. In addition, the users of the lever-operated water control valves unintentionally fully open the valves, thereby wasting an excessive amount of water.